Cathexis is a term coined by Sigmund Freud. It is the mental or emotional investment of energy within a person, abstraction, or object. This investment enables attachments, motivation, and desire which a person energizes toward a fixation. In psychoanalytic theory, conflict and behavioral dynamics are explained through emotional cathexis concentrated on certain relationships or goals. In cases where cathexis is excessive or poorly directed, fixation and ensuing neurosis are likely. Unfettered healthy cathexis permits the adaptive functioning of emotional energy across various life domains. For example, the intense devotion of a person’s emotional energy directed toward a romantic partner is an illustration of cathexis.
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